My Father and Atticus Finch: A Lawyer's Fight for Justice in 1930s Alabama

by Joseph Madison Beck

As a child, Joseph Beck heard the stories—when other lawyers came up with excuses, his father courageously defended a black man charged with raping a white woman.

Now a lawyer himself, Beck reconstructs his father's role in State of Alabama vs. Charles White, Alias, a trial that was much publicized when Harper Lee was twelve years old.

On the day of Foster Beck’s client’s arrest, the leading local newspaper reported, under a page-one headline, that "a wandering negro fortune teller giving the name Charles White" had "volunteered a detailed confession of the attack" of a local white girl. However, Foster Beck concluded that the confession was coerced. The same article claimed that "the negro accomplished his dastardly purpose," but as in To Kill a Mockingbird, there was evidence at the trial to the contrary. Throughout the proceedings, the defendant had to be escorted from the courthouse to a distant prison “for safekeeping,” and the courthouse itself was surrounded by a detachment of sixteen Alabama highway patrolmen.

The saga captivated the community with its dramatic testimonies and emotional outcome. It would take an immense toll on those involved, including Foster Beck, who worried that his reputation had cast a shadow over his lively, intelligent, and supportive fiancé, Bertha, who had her own social battles to fight.

This riveting memoir, steeped in time and place, seeks to understand how race relations, class, and the memory of southern defeat in the Civil War produced such a haunting distortion of justice, and how it may figure into our literary imagination.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, American History, Memoir, True Crime, Biography Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2016

About the author

Joseph Madison Beck is an Atlanta attorney. He also teaches at Emory Law School and has lectured at universities throughout the United States and abroad.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I was incredibly excited when I saw this book, since it combines a couple of my favorite things: To Kill a Mockingbird and non-fiction. I teach To Kill a Mockingbird every year, and I am constantly looking for companion pieces to go along with it. I was really hopeful last year when Go Set a Watchman came out that it would finally be the ideal book for this purpose. While I have a lot of thoughts about Go Set a Watchman (most of which boil down to it would be an excellent book if it did not use the same characters as Mockingbird), suffice it to say it was not quite what I was looking for in terms of a pairing.

This brings me to my thoughts on My Father and Atticus Finch. I think this book is outstanding in terms of giving an example of a historical case similar to the Tom Robinson trial in To Kill a Mockingbird. I often have a very hard time trying to get students prepared for the novel, especially teaching in the 21st century in a northern state. What I most often do is talk about the Scottsboro Boys trial. This helps to give students some background information; however, there are a lot of things that are not similar (multiple defendants, the Northern lawyer, the fact that it took place earlier and set precedents for the Tom Robinson trial, etc.). While I do not think that this book would wholesale replace it, I do think that portions of it could be used very effectively for pre-reading and that students who have an interest in the trial and in history would benefit enormously from reading this book.

I also think that the book does a nice job laying out the idea that Atticus Finch is not based on his father even though there are a lot of similarities (and only tries to push the idea he might have been at the end). It reads as a very interesting and important story in its own right independent of its connection to Harper Lee’s works. That being said, one of the most interesting things to me in the book outside of the trial was the discussion of the author’s father and his grandfather. Perhaps because I enjoy overanalyzing things, I found the differences on white-black race relations fascinating and felt like it almost broke down as his father was like Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird and his grandfather had more of an opinion like Atticus in Go Set a Watchman in terms of his paternal approach. As such, I think that along with being something that adds to the experience of To Kill a Mockingbird this book also made me retroactively enjoy Go Set a Watchman more.

The only criticism I have of the book is that it can at times get a little slow and bogged down in family history (this is entirely fair as the book is ostensibly about his father). I found myself as I got further into the meat of the book getting a little annoyed with the chapters that dealt with the minutia of the family or the town as opposed to things directly related to culture or the trial itself. This is a minute complaint however and the book overall was a page turner the whole way through (in large part due to the very narrative approach taken by Beck).

In conclusion, I think this book is a must read for people who love To Kill a Mockingbird or have an interest in history. I plan on having at least one copy in my classroom library to recommend/lend out to students.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Harper Lee said that she was not familiar the case of "State of Alabama vs. Charles White, Alias", and didn't use the case for her book, "To Kill a Mockingbird", this is still a very interesting story about a real-life Atticus Finch. Mr. Beck can be very proud of his father and the way that he fought for justice for Charles White. This book is a good history lesson for everyone about where our country used to be in race relations and how hard it is to be the one who stands up for justice.

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Foster Beck, who in the 1930's defended a black man accused of raping a white woman. The story is told by by Foster's son Joseph. Using a family history written by his father,newspapers, court transcripts, and interviews Joseph reconstructs the events. It relates a good picture into race relations in south Alabama as well as white reaction to Foster defending the accused rapist. Many of the whites were somewhat okay with him defending the man,but when he lost the case and decided to appeal his life became untenable. He was basically ostracized in the community and his law practice disappeared. Interesting look at racial life in the times.
An interesting side light of the case was that Harper Lee was 12 years old at the time of the case. The parallel with Atticus Finch in her novel is striking. The author contacted Harper Lee about the similarities but she said she had no knowledge of the case. The book provides an interesting view of race relations in the small town in Alabama.

[Sue Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ACR of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. Consider that as I review this book, I am wearing an "Atticus Finch, attorney at law," shirt. I am a fan of TKAM. This book was a good read, especially if you appreciate reading about the history of racism, and/or appreciate the law. I suspect there is some family lore that made it into the pages, and the author's father's story certainly does seem to parallel that of Atticus Finch. This is a story of a black man who was accused of raping a developmentally challenged white woman. I appreciate Beck's tale of his father's defense of this crime, and how it ostracized his father from his small community. I liked this book, despite it's not being perfect, perhaps more so for that, wishing I had a similar story to tell about my family.

[Franny · Rating 3 out of 5]

So interesting! A son writes about his father - an Alabaman attorney - who tries a case almost parallel to the fictional character of Atticus Finch. The author describes how his parents met, their careers, how the two of them seemed ahead of their times in the 1960s to the rest of the town. The son speaks admirably of his father yet speaks logically of his memories/recollections of stories verbally passed down.

Very slow read but so insightful. the author truly sets the scene you imagine while reading To Kill a Mockingbird. It's told from a more mature side - one that sees the trial in hindsight rather than through the lens of a child, but feels like must-read yet not one I felt excited to pick up.

Helps you understand rural America more and small town family dynamics. You can feel the conflict of the townspeople - not ready to challenge the (racist) status quo but still are ready to hear another opinion.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting discussion of a case that may or may not have influenced the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. And, while it’s not something to brag about, I was definitely intrigued (and shocked) to learn that the case happened in my home town. 🤯

[Andy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true life account of a young Alabama lawyer, Foster Beck, who defended an African American accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama. It was written by Beck's son, Joseph Beck, who is also a lawyer and is based partly on what Foster told his son about the case before he died but also on newspaper articles and the actual trial transcript. Joseph Beck notes in his introduction that he takes some insignificant literary liberties such as exact dialogue between characters but these are always consistent with the factual spirit of the book and makes the book read like a novel. But the author's careful research and excellent writing from the perspective of a lawyer reminds the reader that this is a true story
Joseph Beck notes the similarities between this real life story and To Kill a Mockingbird. In an epilogue he discusses the possibility that Harper Lee may have been influenced by this true story in her writing.
I am glad I did not know the ending of the book while I read it, the story had the suspense of the novel. So you may want to end your reading of this review now.
There are differences between this and Mockingbird mainly because this is nonfiction. Foster Beck was not a lawyer from the town where the rape occurred, the local lawyers had all gotten themselves appointed "special prosecutors" so they could not be appointed to represent the defendant. And Foster Beck resisted the appointment even though his town was many miles away. While there was a certain initial acceptance of Beck taking the case given that the recent Scottsborough case had been reversed because there was no lawyer, that quasi tolerance evaporated when Beck took his case seriously and pressed on appeal, paying for the transcript out of his own pocket. After the case Beck eventually had to move and take a government job because of the many clients he lost over his zealous advocacy.
The realism of the story makes this even a stronger profile in courage and I strongly recommend it

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

MY FATHER AND ATTICUS FINCH: A LAWYER'S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE IN 1930s ALABAMA
Written by Joseph Madison Beck
2016; 240 Pages
W. W. Norton & Company
Genre: history, biography, memoir

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.)

2.5 STARS

" A memoir about the author’s father, whose courageous defense of a black man accused of rape calls to mind To Kill a Mockingbird.
As a child, Joe Beck heard about his father’s legacy: Foster Beck had once been a respected trial lawyer who defied the unspoken code of 1930s Alabama by defending a black man charged with raping a white woman. Now a lawyer himself, Beck has become intrigued by the similarities between his father’s story and the one at the heart of Harper Lee’s iconic novel. Beck reconstructs here his father’s role in the 1938 trial—much publicized when Harper Lee was twelve years old—in which the examining doctor testified before a packed and hostile courtroom that there was no evidence of intercourse or violence. Nevertheless, the all-white jury voted to convict. This riveting memoir seeks to understand how race, class, and the memory of the South’s defeat in the Civil War produced the trial’s outcome, and how these issues figure into our literary imagination.
Joseph Madison Beck is an Atlanta attorney. He also teaches at Emory Law School and has lectured at universities throughout the United States and abroad." (From Publishers)

Back focuses too much on how his father is like or better than Atticus Finch that the story seems to just be another version of To Kill a Mockingbird rather than how this man was different. I started to skim bits but I did finish the book. Maybe To Kill a Mockingbird is too close to my heart so you may want to take this review with a grain of salt.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

The "better class of whites" who look the other way during an "occasional beating or castration, even a lynching"(wow, that is certainly a better class) and the "rough element" who can manage to restrain themselves every time they are provoked by "some black person" are a couple of ideas that this poor author thinks make a case for what went on in Alabama in 1938. (pg 147) If we are rewriting perceptions from the past let's at least make it believable.

I wanted to like this book. I search for ways to understand race relations in this country, and our history. I got impatient with the tone of the book, however. We were given explanations based upon the authors' ancestors' ethics and standards as if we can all understand the actions because this was how they were raised. Call it what it is. Racism.

[Ken Dowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Madison Beck has written a moving tribute to his father Foster Campbell Beck. But the story is so much more. It’s about south Alabama and the people that live there, about a region that never stopped defining itself in terms of the Civil War. It’s a story of racism, historical, but seemingly never ending.

The Beck family for at least three generations, which includes the author’s grandfather, would be considered “progressive” on racial issues, at least by Alabama standards. The author himself is a lawyer in South Alabama like his father. The centerpiece of the story is Foster Campbell Beck’s decision to represent a black fortune teller from Detroit who is accused of raping a local white girl. It’s 1938 and it’s a decision that benefits neither his firm’s finances nor his reputation locally. And the ramifications go long past the actual case. What it does support is “my father’s lifelong passionate belief that the law was there for the poor as well as the rich, for blacks as well as whites.”

Atticus Finch is the lawyer in Harper Lee’s 1950’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
In that story Finch also represents a black man accused of raping a white woman in south Alabama. James Madison Beck hints that some have suggested his father’s case inspired the novel, although Lee has denied any connection. Maybe from Beck’s viewpoint this best selling novel just dramatizes the courage and conviction that his own father showed.

It’s no easy task to write about a father of whom you are enormously proud without being overly sentimental or preachy. Beck has done that. His is a story told in a straightforward manner based on meticulously researched facts. There’s plenty of drama, especially in his account of the trial of the accused man, Charles White. And there’s a bit of family drama as well. All in all, a great story, skillfully told.

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Harper Lee is on record saying that the story of To Kill a Mockingbird was not modeled after Joseph Becks trial case of a black man (Charles White), at least part of this research project, undertaken by Beck's son, Joseph Beck, was driven by the curiosity to explore the possibility. Mostly though it's the product of one man's desire to learn the story of his father through parsing through the details of his most famous case.

The story is told from the voice of the son, bouncing back and forth between his observations as he uncovers bits and pieces through his research, and dramatized treatments of pivotal points in his father's life as he prods and grows his way through the case. As such, we get a detailed picture of life in the south and the racism that held it in its grip, even as the seeds were being planted for potential change.

It's an easy read. The end of the book offers some reflection on the parts of Beck's case that parallel Lee's novel, and the parts that deviate. As such, it leaves one always uncertain about which way this story is going to go, in line with the book or travelling it's own course. This becomes part of the intrigue.

I picked it up at a local bookstore during my trip to the south, including to Monroeville. Looked like it might be a good snapshot of the history and the culture, being a real life version of the iconic Mockingbird. and it satisfied those hope's.

[Sandra Louden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some difficulty getting into this book as there were many different names right out of the gate--a technique I am not fond of. However, the book did get more interesting and "fluid" as it went along. It seemed as if the author had somewhat of a problem at times with Harper Lee; he would mention her often in the narrative and noted the differences between his father and the fictional character of Atticus Finch. Author Beck does acknowledge at the end, however, that he has "great admiration for Ms. Lee" especially when she "notified my client, the publishers Houghton Mifflin, of her support of a widely publicized case I was defending..." I couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Beck had the very-human reaction to "Mockingbird" of: "Hey, this was MY Dad and as such, it was MY story to tell." I have not yet read "Go Set A Watchman"; however, it is definitely on my To Do schedule. The book is widely touted as showing the negative, racist side of Atticus Finch, so clearly, I'll need to make up my own mind between the upstanding man in Mockingbird & the supposedly "human-foible" man in Watchman. I'm old enough to know that there is no predicting the human heart; however, in My Father & Atticus Finch, author Beck shows us not only the human side of his father, but also Beck's own vulnerability, as well as his pride in--and love for--his father.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Judge W.L. Parks began the telephone call to Foster Beck with the customary courtesies, asking first after his father, then about his law practice. Other questions too: about the dry spell, fishing conditions. Finally, in his own good time, the judge said what he was calling about, the rape case there in Troy.



Premise/plot: Was the trial in To Kill A Mockingbird based on a real case? Perhaps. In 1938, Foster Beck defended a black man, Charles White, accused of raping a white girl, Elizabeth Liger. Though he did his best and there was no clear evidence of rape--or attempted rape--he lost his case. My Father and Atticus Finch chronicles the case and provides a behind the scenes glimpse of Southern life in the late 1930s.


My thoughts: This nonfiction book was fascinating. I have loved To Kill a Mockingbird for most of my life, and I did find quite a few similarities. While there is no "proof" that the book was based upon this exact case, if you are drawn into the story of To Kill A Mockingbird, there's a good chance this real-life case will do the same. It is intense and at times heartbreaking.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am actually a bigger fan of Go Set a Watchman than I am of To Kill a Mockingbird, but I love both books, just for two different reasons. To Kill a Mockingbird is intensely sentimental, and no one but the monster Bob Ewell gets the blame for the atrocious treatment of Tom Robinson and for the attitudes of the 1930's United States. Go Set a Watchman rings more true. No one is let off the hook for such attitudes and how we might have reacted and lived with those attitudes. Still, Harper Lee's Mockingbird characters, especially Atticus Finch, bring hope to the readers and have a place in this artistic endeavor. It was great to read of a real life hero in Foster Beck, someone who sacrificed much to defend a black man in a rape case. This was a real case and the book is well research, including family history as the author is the son of the subject, Foster Beck. I found it to a view of the American 1930's that is consistent with both of Lee's books, to a degree. I found Mr. Beck's depiction far more chilling and far more real.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

This is an interesting book. The author believes that his father inspired Lee Harper's story about Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Foster Beck's father, Joseph, was one of the first white lawyers to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. He did this when Lee was a young girl and as an elderly woman she told the author that she had no memory of this.

Whether Joseph inspired Harper or not his actions were exemplary. He risked his law career by trying to save an innocent man from prison and execution. And sure enough not only was he not able to save Charles White but so few white people would hire him after he defended him that he had to give up being a lawyer.

[Delores Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure that there were many cases of innocent blacks in the south that were similar to the one in To Kill A Mockingbird. Joseph Madison Beck knew from family history that his father was one of those lawyers who defended a black man who was accused of raping a white girl so he decided to investigate.

He was able to find newspaper accounts of a Charles White accused of raping a white girl during the 1930’s and so was able to petition for the court records for more precise information. His family has a written history that he got other information of the time and happenings at the same time that helped give a feel for the times. I found it very interesting to read a true tale of that era in the south. And especially the educated white man’s attempt to rationalize the treatment of the blacks at this time.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did Harper Lee either consciously or unconsciously write To Kill a Mockingbird based on the real life court case of State of Alabama vs. Charles White, Alias? She says she didn't, but we will never know for sure. I had to read this story about a possible real life Atticus Finch! I enjoy a could court room drama and I love reading about 19th century and early to mid 20th century south, especially when there is a character that goes against the crowd and stands up for what is right in regards to race. I only gave this book three stars, b/c I felt like there was too much extra info on the authors grandfather and I often times found myself having to remind myself about who was who and who did what. But maybe that's just me. Glad I read it!

[Jodi Geever · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines the historical case that the author takes to have been the basis for Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Throughout the author highlights the parallels between fact and fiction, while at the same time examining his father's moral character, and the way that character impacted how his father practiced law.

Written in an engaging narrative style, this book will hold the reader's interest if they are a history buff, a law buff, or a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Notably, there is an appendix of photos and letters including one from Harper Lee herself to the author in 1992, which is interesting in and of itself because it is widely known that Lee was a recluse by then, no longer giving time to the press.

[Diane Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Beck's wonderful account of his father's experience of a small town southern lawyer defending a rape case involving a black man and a white woman (prior to the publication of "Mocking Bird") is a remarkable tribute to his father whose moral compass never faltered in a time and place where ignorance and prejudice ruined a man's life and made a mockery of the laws that were meant to protect him.

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off a bit slow, rather like 'Mockingbird,' but is a stunning real life parallel to the fictional bestseller. It probably is true that Ms Lee had not heard of the Alabama case while working on her book, because the cases of racial prejudice and injustice seem to have been so widespread that today they appear exaggeration to the point of invoking disbelief, rather like denying the Holocaust.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite interesting to read. Lots of parallels to Atticus Finch, so I could clearly see what the author surmised that might be true. The fact that he was in contact with Harper Lee made it even more interesting. Good read, good follow up to Harper Lee's book. Really liked it and would recommend it.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author tells the true story of his father, a small-town attorney who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama. The story has an uncanny resemblance to the fictional tale in "To Kill A Mockingbird," thus the title. I thought it was a very well-written book and would highly recommend it.

[Jack Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a compeling book. I read it in three days. As a big fan of Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD the similarities are incredible. While Ms. Lee and many of her associates say she wasn't aware of this case, it's hard to fathom she wasn't influenced at least subconsciously. Regardless the book is great and Mr. Beck went to great lengths to research the material. I highly recommend this book.

[Jonesy952 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir of a man whose father defended a Black man for rape in Atticus’s time and whose life was changed forever because of it. I enjoyed this book. It’s about a young guy who back in the 30’s defended a black man for raping a woman. The author claims that this situation with his father is similar to TKAM. And it is quite similar.

[Karen K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting parallels of this book and To Kill A Mockingbird. Maybe Harper Lee’s subconscious did use Foster Beck’s defense of Charles White as a premise for To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus Finch (fictional) and Foster Beck (true life) were both highly principled men. Enjoyable read.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!!!!

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a real life Atticus Finch & what happens in the trial of a black man accused of rape of a white women in the 1930's. It's sad that not a lot has changed in race relations.

[Cathy Routh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy books set in the first half of the twentieth century. I also enjoy reading about court cases. This book was all I expected.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and horrifying to read about life in Alabama in the 1930s. Author felt this case his father defended could have been the inspiration for Harper Lee.

[Mrs. Bendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting- especially if you like history and/or are a fan of To Kill A Mockingbird.